


Lost Souls and Legerdemain

by Syrika



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen, PJO Big Bang, pjobigbang2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-15 08:25:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11802225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syrika/pseuds/Syrika
Summary: Hazel and Frank are summoned to Los Angeles under the guise of a vacation, and Reyna comes along for “supervision” - read, a much-needed but reluctantly-taken break. Hazel quickly discovers that a certain dead demigod is quite determined to escape the confines of the Underworld, and he needs her help to do it.





	Lost Souls and Legerdemain

**Author's Note:**

> A companion image made by ima-better-praetor-than-you.tumblr.com can be found on her blog. I love it so much! Please check out her content.

Hazel woke up and immediately forgot her dream.

That in itself was pretty unusual for demigods - prophetic dreams tended to be really important, and immune from the usual dream physics. She lay awake in bed for a few more seconds, thinking.

Earth…something about the underground. And a flash of light. A voice?

She was distracted when Leila, the Fourth Cohort centurion, stuck her head into Hazel’s bunk to check if she was awake. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw Hazel blinking sleepily at her, and she withdrew without saying a word.

Hazel sighed silently as she peeled herself out of bed. The bullying had stopped, at least, but for the other demigods, old fears were hard to ignore - especially after the whole camp had learned that she had killed several giants and out-manipulated a sorceress with her own brand of magic. She suspected that some of the legion was simply too afraid to make her angry to approach her. Oh, and the whole “daughter of Pluto” thing had never really stopped mattering, as much as the campers now showered the Pluto shrine with gifts.

Hazel blinked. Pluto. The Underground. That struck a chord with her and her dream.

“Go on ahead,” Hazel told the other centurions; then it was just her in the empty barracks with her thoughts. Finally, as she yanked her purple T-shirt over her head, it came to her. The voice, and the message it’d given her.

Hazel figured she’d have to skip breakfast. There was something important to let the praetors know about.

~*Q*~

Hazel did actually stop by the mess hall, but only to grab a muffin on her way down to the via principalis. The camp was slowly coming alive with activity - Roman soldiers chatting, fauns causing chaos. A camper walked by leading a pegasus on its way to the stables. They’d exchanged a few of the willing ones with the Greek camp.

How were they doing? How were all her friends from the Argo II? Hazel had no desire to leave her Roman life in Camp Jupiter, but she couldn’t help but wonder what went on at the other end of the country. And even the constant Iris-messages, eagle messages, dream signs, etc. left her feeling like there was so much day-to-day life that she was missing up in Long Island. In fact, she hadn't heard anything at all from Camp Half-Blood since the end of August a week ago...

Hazel reached the via principalis. She entered the huge marble building and walked straight in on the praetors in the middle of a hushed argument, but she couldn't stop her eyes from lighting up. “Frank!”

Frank looked up and grinned. “Hazel!” He slid from behind the long wooden table to give her a bear hug. She’d stopped being so intimidated by the principalis ever since Frank became one of the main two occupants. He was just as big and affectionate as ever, despite his lavish toga and the fact that he towered over Hazel by like, eight inches.

Reyna, who remained behind the table, didn’t look as welcoming. As usual, she was dressed in every bit of her formal praetor wear, armor and all. (Frank only wore the toga because Reyna insisted.) Her glittering purple cloak was especially intimidating; she had worn it most of the time in her early time as praetor, but after Athena granted it those invulnerability powers she practically wore it into the bathhouse.

The older girl inclined her head at Hazel. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

Frank finally let go. “Yeah. Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing serious,” Hazel assured them. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss Frank’s cheek. “Just a dream I had.”

“A dream?” Reyna frowned. “Hazel, plenty of demigods have -”

“I know! This one was different, though. I think it has something to do with the Underworld.”

That got their attention. After the hullabaloo over the Doors of Death, nobody wanted another Underworld malfunction any time soon.

“Was it from your dad?” Frank asked. She could see the concern reflecting in his dark eyes. Even after her past was cleared away, there was always the concern that she’d be taken back where she belonged - the Fields of Asphodel. He knew she didn’t really like to think about it.

“No,” she said instead. “I mean, it’s probably related to the fact that I’m Pluto’s kid. But it’s not because there’s a problem with Dad or Thanatos….I don’t think so, at least. It’s about a ghost.”

“A ghost?” Reyna repeated warily. She didn’t move, but her hand unconsciously went to her dagger. She had had some nasty experiences with them in the past. “A legionnaire? Or...”

Hazel shook her head. “Nobody I know. But, well…” Sensing that they’d be there for a while, Frank jumped over to his praetors’ chair and pulled it out so Hazel could sit.

Hazel flashed him a grateful look. “I mean, he’s definitely a demigod. I can’t remember what they looked like, but I remember a voice. And I remember a lot of anger...frustration. Hate.”

Reyna’s expression soured. “That doesn’t sound like something you should trust.”

“Here’s the weird part. He want me to meet him.”

“In the Underworld?” Frank asked.

“No, in Los Angeles.”

Frank stared at her. Hazel stared back. He blinked. “Wait, you’re serious?”

“I don’t get it either,” Hazel confessed. “But, uh….I’ve talked with Nico before, and I think he mentioned that there’s a way in Los Angeles to get access there.”

Reyna’s face was dark. “There is. There’s a building called DOA Recording Studios - that’s where the entrance to the Underground moved when the Western civilization shift occurred. It’s not often used because the River Styx was thought to primarily be a Greek myth, and, well, nobody wanted to go and check.”

“But now we’ve got our opportunity,” said Hazel.

“In L.A?” Frank repeated faintly.

“In L.A.,” Hazel confirmed. “I have to go down there and see what the ghost wants. It could be another disaster.”

“Mars knows we’ve had enough of those,” Frank said gloomily. “How long will you be gone?”

“Oh, a few days.”

“Let me know right away when you get there.”

This time Hazel stared at him, and Frank stared back. Finally, her lips quirked a little. “Don’t you want to come with?”

“You’d let me? I mean....” Frank was flustered. “I thought it’d have to be a solo Pluto’s kid thing!”

“Of course not! Why wouldn’t I want you along?”

“As reassuring as it might be to have a companion,” Reyna said a trifle sharply, “Frank, you are a praetor. You can’t just abandon your duties to follow Hazel on a quest based off a dream.”

“Practically all quests are based off of dreams,” Hazel said.

“That’s besides the point. Frank, you’re supposed to be the leader of the Romans.”

“I’m also supposed to be a caring boyfriend,” Frank said. That wasn’t the right thing to say, because Reyna only looked more irritated.

Hazel could tell they were about to start bickering. The two praetors didn’t fight much, but with them both being children of war gods, things got ugly if Reyna backed Frank into a corner. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. “Reyna…”

“What?” Reyna said testily.

“How would you like to come with us?”

Reyna looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “Hazel, that is the exact opposite of what the problem is. Praetors can’t just go gallivanting off to Los Angeles when -”

“She’s not ‘gallivanting,’ it’s a mission,” Frank protested.

“No, actually,” Hazel said. “Let’s gallivant.”

Now both of them were staring at her. Hazel couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Guys, look. We just got back from the Argo II, where we fought giants, traveled the world, almost died many, many times -”

“Business as usual,” said Reyna.

“And we defeated Gaea and stopped a war. Don’t you think you two deserve...I don’t know, a vacation?”

“Absolutely not,” Reyna said firmly. “My duty lies here, and with the camp.”

Hazel knew she had a point, but she could see the ever-present weariness etched around her eyes, and the way her golden armor weighed her down more heavily than Hazel could possibly control it to. She was doing much better than before Gaea’s defeat, when the fate of the whole demigod world rested on her, but Hazel couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her praetor have an honest day off.

“Just for a few days,” Hazel pressed. “You’ll still be doing work - maybe we’ll need backup or something. But for the most part, you’ll be able to just explore Los Angeles with us. The centurions and the lares can take care of everything.”

“The centurions in the Second Cohort are the most senior,” Frank added, catching on. “They’ll do just fine in giving orders to the camp.”

“And!” Hazel rushed. “And we’ve got Terminus to guard the borders. We can get him to pull border control on the whole camp for a few days, if you want. And Nico can-”

“All right,” Reyna interrupted. “I’ll go.”

“Really?” Hazel said, astonished. Reyna didn’t answer, but she kneaded her forehead silently. She seemed to be struggling to hide her exhaustion.

“Yes,” she said finally. “But if I get any word from camp, if the fauns have stolen so much as a chicken leg from the mess hall, I’m coming back. Frank, I’d understand if your standards are a bit lower, but I would appreciate it if you’d alert the camp of our departure.”

“On it.” Frank scrambled out of the via principalis to spread the word to the lares. They gossiped so much that the camp hardly needed an organized announcement system.

Then it was just Reyna and Hazel. The praetor rested her elbows on the table before she spoke. “I hope this trip is worth it, Hazel.”

“I think it is,” Hazel said, feeling fairly confident.

“Though….I’d appreciate it if it weren’t anything serious for once.”

They were silent for a few seconds. Finally Reyna faced Hazel again. Her eyes suddenly looked deep and dark, like wells. “Hazel, when I was traveling with Gleeson and Nico...Nico exerted himself far too much. He had to shadow-travel almost constantly. By the time we reached Long Island, he’d nearly disappeared completely.”

“I remember,” Hazel said.

“Sometimes I feel…we both have the same problem when it comes to pushing ourselves too far. And I can share my strength with others, but with myself, I only have me to rely on.” Reyna laughed bitterly. “Back during the war, I sometimes felt like I was fading away too.”

“It’ll get better,” Hazel promised. “The war’s over. The gods are back, and the monsters are gone. We even have a new camp looking out for us. We have time for this.”

Hazel had her own fears, too, mostly about going back down to the Underworld, but she didn't dare voice them. Now wasn't the time.

“....All right.” Reyna stood up. “I’d better....pack….?” She frowned. Hazel realized that demigods usually didn’t pack much on quests beyond the bare essentials. But, well…

“Pack anything you’d like,” Hazel said. “Extra clothes, denarii, food...I don’t think we’d be blamed if we made this quest a little bit more luxurious than the last one!”

~*Q*~

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! This story came about from a Tumblr project called PJO Big Bang, in which the PJO fandom creates an explosion of new content. Sadly, some real life complications prevented this story from going up all at once, but if any of y'all are interested I'll finish and post the rest. Many thanks to Megan, or ima-better-praetor-than-you, for the accompanying artwork!
> 
> Have a great day!!


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